Dark Side of the Moon
by Pen-Always-In-Hand
Summary: Black*Star gives his Weapon and ex-girlfriend Tsubaki a scroll he found that reads, Nakatsukasa. When they open it, they are sucked into another world. Separated, Tsubaki and Black*Star must navigate this new world as they search for each other. Meanwhile, Konoha and the Sand Siblings receive unexpected guests preparing for a wedding. Sequel to "Shot Through the Heart."
1. Black Hole

**A.N. -** **Hello, people of fanfiction! How wonderful to see you again! I'm back, returning to Soul Eater fanfiction, this time with a crossover twist.** **  
**

 **Now, this is technically a sequel to my previous Soul Eater fanfic, "Shot Through the Heart", but except for a few instances, you don't really need to read that to understand; "Heart" dealt with Liz and Patti and Kid's relationship as platonic, True Companions meister-and-partners, while this will deal with Tsubaki and Black*Star, and the effects of a failed romantic relationship can have on the meister-Weapon bond (if I ever did a Soul and Maka-centered story, which I might in the future, that would deal with a more successful romantic meister-and-Weapon pair).**

 **This story will also heavily feature (my headcanon-based) information and history of Tsubaki's clan. And, of course, it will have the Naruto characters, set roughly 2.5, 3 years after the 4th Great Shinobi World War; Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro are on their way to Konoha for Temari and Shikamaru's wedding, so whenever that was. I guess it will overall focus more on Tsubaki and Black*Star, but there will definitely be enough Naruto elements to be a proper crossover.**

 **To those unfamiliar with "Heart": I put a lot of non-Soul Eater characters from other fandoms in the story, what I called "cameos". I'll continue that practice with this story, and in this chapter there is a Full Metal Alchemist character cameo.**

 **Also, a note on the title: I know my astronomy professor would be disappointed in me, because in all actuality there is no such thing as the "dark" side of the moon; we just can't see it, but it's there. It is more properly called the "far" side of the moon. But I couldn't resist keeping a musically-themed title going with this and "Shot Through the Heart", so just remember it's based on the song title and not fact, okay?**

 **Alright, to the story! I hope you all enjoy! Please let me know what you think/what I can do to improve!**

* * *

It didn't take long to find her.

Black*Star approached the park bench that his Weapon partner, Nakatsukasa Tsubaki, was sitting on, looking out on the man-made lake that sat in the middle of the park. Ducks glided across the surface as a large fountain shot water up into the sky, making a sort of artificial rain. Some children climbed a large rock pile on the other side of the lake, while other visitors walked around the dirt path. A few had pieces of bread in their hands, and eagerly threw them to the waterfowl to squabble over.

The park was centered on a large tract of land on the outskirts of Death City, close enough to be green and even lush, instead of another part of the desert. Somewhat of a pet project of the previous Shinigami-sama, Kid had continued progress on it, and finally it had opened a couple years ago. Tsubaki and Black*Star had come here for one of their dates – had it been their first? No, surely even he would have remembered that; must've been their second – back when they _were_ dating.

It had been a few weeks since they'd broken off their romantic relationship – well, alright, in reality, Tsubaki had actually _dumped_ him, but no one really needed to know that, right? Except Liz and Patti, in whose company Tsubaki had been a lot more since Maka and Soul got reassigned to Russia. So Kid probably knew, too, and heck, Maka probably did, since Tsubaki and she still talked a lot with international calling and texting (Tsubaki had a good plan, to stay in touch with her parents in Japan).

Black*Star shook his head to clear it, and sat down on the bench next to his partner. Tsubaki looked up over at him and gave a slight smile; there was a ripple of surprise in her soul, but it surely couldn't be because of his sudden appearance, because she would have sensed him at the same time he sensed her. Maybe it was because he was even here at all? He had sort of been...not quite _avoiding_ her, exactly, because that wouldn't be cool, as Soul would have told him had he been there, but Black*Star had to admit that he hadn't been at home much. He could try and blame it on his work schedule, which was mostly night work when it wasn't crazy hours, but...

There was no way he wouldn't be with her on this day, though.

"Hey, Tsu-chan," Black*Star, using a rare nickname he reserved for special moments or when Tsubaki was particularly sad.

"Hey, Black*Star," Tsubaki answered. She paused. "Thanks for...being here. I...haven't seen you for a while, so I didn't..."

"Heh, yeah, well, I thought today you needed some light." He flashed her a grin, hoping it would cheer her up. "And who's better at that the me, the great Black*Star!?"

She laughed a little, eyes crinkling. "No one I know," she agreed. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, and Black*Star found himself enjoying it. What a fool he'd been for staying away from her. If nothing else, Tsubaki was his partner, his friend, and he shouldn't have let hurt feelings get in the way of that.

After a while, though, Tsubaki sighed. "I can't believe..." she said softly, "that it's been six years since that mission. Since Nii-san died."

Black*Star nodded silently, remembering. Nakatsukasa Masamune, Tsubaki's older brother, had been wrecking havoc among villages and eating souls, close to becoming a kishin. To stop that was the whole reason Tsubaki had joined Shibusen, since her clan usually took over their members' training themselves. Tsubaki had done what she had to do, but it was still hard on her. Most of the time, she was able to put it in the back of her mind, but always on the anniversary of her brother's death, the grief still hit hard.

Black*Star hesitated only a moment before reaching over and putting his arm around Tsubaki's shoulders. In the last six years, he'd hit a growth spurt, and was now the same height as the Weapon, even an inch or two taller. It was a little hard to tell, since Tsubaki was thin and willowy anyway, but sitting down he was definitely taller.

"I'm here for you, Tsu-chan," he told her. "You know that."

Tsubaki nodded against his shoulder. "I do. Thanks, Black*Star." She paused again, then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. In a somewhat chipper tone that obviously meant she was trying to cheer herself up, she asked, "So how was Angela today? She was still sleeping when I left the house, I didn't want to wake her."

"Oh, she was fine," Black*Star replied. The two of them had basically sort of adopted the little witch, Angela Leon, ever since they'd been forced to kill her bodyguard and father-figure, Mifune. Angela still didn't know about their part in her former protector's death, though a year or so ago they'd been forced to admit that he wasn't coming back for her because he had, in fact, passed away. Black*Star still chaffed at lying to her, but everyone had insisted it was best, unless and until they could get the young witch's destructive power under control.

That's why, in between school and other extra-curricular activities, Angela spent a lot of her time with Shibusen's other resident witch, and ex-Spartoi meister, Kim Diehl. Kim, at 20 years old, went to Death City University, as did Tsubaki, Liz, Ox, Harvar, Maka, Soul...and nearly all of Shibusen students, really. Kim, who planned on going into medical school, had gotten an internship at Shibusen General, which is where Black*Star had just come from. Angela, for her part, enjoyed hanging out with Kim, and enjoyed seeing some of the more gruesome-looking patients come in, so it all worked out in the end.

"Oh yeah," Black*Star said suddenly, "that reminds me." He fished around in his pocket with the hand that wasn't around Tsubaki and pulled out a small scroll. It was edged in gold paper, and had red tassels attached to the ends of it. Written on the front in elegantly finished kanji was the name _Nakatsukasa_. Tsubaki had tried teaching him Japanese once before, though the attempt had ended about as well as any of his other studies; what he remembered, however, was more than enough to recognize her name.

He handed the scroll to Tsubaki, who handled it with care, and said, "I dunno what it is, I found it on a table in the medical library Kim was in. I figured you should have it, since, y'know, it's literally got your name on it."

"Wow, Black*Star. Thank-you." Tsubaki turned it over in her hands, seeming to like the way it felt. She looked back over at him and smiled. "Really, thank-you."

He nodded. "Yeah, well, what are partners for?"

All of a sudden he wanted to lean in and kiss her. But, as he was restraining himself, a ringtone went off. They both started, then each checked their pockets; Black*Star's phone came out ringing.

"Ah, it's me," the meister said. Answering the call, he said, "Hello?"

 _"Hello, Black*Star?"_ It was Jean Havoc, one of Black*Star's coworkers and superiors at Border Patrol and Surveillance. _"We're going to need you to come in. Miles and Alex both called out sick, so someone has to fill in a shift."_

Black*Star sighed. "Fine," he said. "I'll be there in fift- no, ten."

 _"Knew we could count on you,"_ Jean said cheerfully. _"See you soon."_

"Yeah, yeah," Black*Star replied, even though Jean had already hung up. He put his phone away and faced Tsubaki.

"Uh, well, it looks like I have to go," he said. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "What a pain." He then paused, a thought occurring to him. "Actually, y'know, Tsubaki, if you need me to stay..."

"Oh, no, Black*Star, that's alright," Tsubaki answered hurriedly. "It's fine, _I'm_ fine, really." She smiled at him. "It's okay, I promise. And this way you'll be home earlier, right?"

"Yeah, that's true," the meister acknowledged. Checking his watch, he added, "Maybe I could even swing by home for a quick lunch even." He then hesitated for a moment more, before nodding and getting up. "Alright, well, then I'll be off. I'll see you later, Tsubaki."

"See you," she answered. Black*Star then turned and headed off to work.

...

Tsubaki fingered red tassels on the scroll she carried as she walked out of Death City Memorial Park. She'd already spent too much time here today, when there were other things she should be doing - she should call her parents, and there was that paper for her Readings in Non-Western Lit she needed to finish. At least she didn't have class today, though hopefully she would have convinced herself to go if she had.

 _Six years, Nii-san_ , she thought to her brother. _How long will I have these feelings with me?_ At least neither of her parents blamed her for their oldest child's death - they both understood she'd done what she had to do. Even if she hadn't been the one to stop her brother, Shibusen would have sent someone else. Perhaps that would have been even harder, having had a stranger finish what was in essence a family matter.

Tsubaki shook her head to clear it, trying to dispel the negative thoughts. Maybe when she got home, she could take a look at this scroll; she hadn't felt right looking at it in public. It would probably take her mind off things.

As she was nearing the entrance of the park, she noticed a figure in the distance waving excitedly at her. When Tsubaki got close enough, she realized that it was one of her good friends, Patti Thompson. Smiling widely, Tsubaki waved back as the two girls met in the middle.

"Tsubaki!" Patti cried, grinning and pulling the fellow Weapon into a hug. She had a large drawing pad in one hand. "I'm glad to see you~!"

Tsubaki laughed. "I'm glad to see you, too, Patti," she replied. "How are you? What're you doing here?"

Patti held up the drawing pad. "I'm here to draw~, of course!" Patti, like Black*Star, had chosen not to go down the college route; at first she had gone in as undeclared, but dropped out after the first semester. However, she had found a passion in drawing, and Liz had told Tsubaki she and Kid had been trying to get Patti to submit some of her work to see what would come of it.

"Well, this park is a good spot for this," Tsubaki acknowledged.

Patti nodded. "Yup, it is. Kid and Sis are at work, too, so I should be, too, y'know?" A shadow passed over her face, then. "'Specically 'cause tomorrow Sis and I have to go to New York."

"What? Why?" Tsubaki cried, shocked. Roughly half a year ago, Liz and Patti had been blackmailed into returning to their pre-Shibusen days as the "Devils of Brooklyn"; Francesco Scafidi, a low-life gang-banger the Thompsons had known in the past, had planted bombs in Death City with the help of a witch. Kid, Maka, Soul, Black*Star, and Tsubaki had gone on a rescue mission, but not before the witch had blown up parts of Death City. It wasn't completely recovered yet, but progress was moving along, Franky and the witch had been dealt with, and Liz and Patti were back where they belonged.

After all that, Tsubaki thought the Thompsons would never want to go back to their birthplace again.

"We gotta testify against the remaining members of Franky's gang," Patti explained, her tone sour. She then added, as an afterthought, "Jason has to go, too." Jason Atlee was a former member of Franky's gang, and an old acquaintance of the Thompsons. After siding with Liz and Patti against Franky, he'd been welcomed into Death City, and was currently working at the Deathbucks that had employed the Thompsons.

"Oh, Patti, I'm so sorry!" Tsubaki cried. "How awful that must be for you."

Patti shrugged. "At least we'll be able to come back home," she said. "And we can see all those bastards get what they deserve."

Tsubaki nodded. "That's true." She reached in a gave Patti another hug, the pulled back. "Well, I'll let you get some drawing in; I've got some things to do at home. But we'll talk soon 'kay? Maybe I can see you off tomorrow!"

"Okay!" Patti agreed, shooting Tsubaki another wide smile before loping off, drawing pad held loosely in her hand as she swung her arms. Tsubaki smiled at the sight before resuming her trek home.

...

The sound of the door to their apartment made Tsubaki pause in her typing. She sat at the kitchen table with her laptop, working on some homework, the scroll with her family name on it sitting right beside her. She'd had a very nice, very long phone conversation with her parents, and then gotten got up in little chores and errands the rest of the day. She checked the clock, surprised to see that it was 6:30 already. Where had the day gone?

"Hey, Tsubaki, you here? I'm back!" Black*Star's voice reached here a second before he stepped into the kitchen. His eyes lit up when he saw her, but then he looked around for a moment, seeming confused.

"Where's the little tyke?" he asked. "Usually she'd run in here by now and try to kick my family jewels right off."

"Oh, yeah, Kilik called me earlier," Tsubaki answered. "Angela asked if she could sleep over with Thunder and Lightning." That was another thing she'd done today; it felt like she'd spent a lot of time on the phone.

"Ah, you mean we have the house to ourselves?" A grin stretched Black*Star's face. "Cool! That hasn't happened in -" he faltered for a moment, then finished less enthusiastically, "in weeks."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tsubaki agreed, deciding not to comment on his hesitation. The last time Angela had been out of the house and it was just her and Black*Star, she'd broken up with him. Honestly, she'd been surprised by how badly he'd taken it - he ended up spending two nights with Kilik - considering she'd mostly broken things off because she hadn't thought he was taking their new _romantic_ relationship seriously.

Black*Star sat down at the table, his eyes wandering for a moment. "Oh, hey, did you look at this yet?" He picked up the scroll.

Tsubaki shook her head. "No, I haven't really had a chance. Wanna look at it now?"

Black*Star handed it to her. "Sure, if you want to."

Tsubaki nodded as she took it, then started to unroll it; Black*Star got up and leaned over her shoulder. The scroll glowed in the Weapon's hands, and soon the light became blinding. Tsubaki held the scroll away from her as the light began to fade and turned blue in color. Just when Tsubaki thought she'd be able to read the scroll, she felt a strong force pulling at her.

Tsubaki tried resisting, leaning back in her chair, but the pull was insistent, and soon she was halfway inside the scroll. A strange portal had opened, or perhaps had been hiding between the pages, and it was sucking her in. Her mind flashed back to Kid's description of the Book of Eibon, and her own experience inside. The Weapon screamed, trying to wrench herself free, but her attempt was futile.

"Tsubaki!" Black*Star cried, gripping her arm and trying to yank her back. Black*Star was strong, probably the physically strongest person she knew, but even he was no match for this force. At least, Tsubaki thought, her meister was safe. That was all that mattered: Black*Star, her meister, her partner, was safe.

That was the last thought she had before disappearing completely into the scroll.

* * *

 **A.N. — Wow, that was a long chapter. Phew.  
**

 **Please understand that most of the chapters won't be this long. And I also don't know when my updating schedule will be, but I will definitely keep at it.**


	2. The Wanderers

**A.N. — Just a note of the chapter title: Just like in "Shot Through the Heart", where I had a gun/shooting theme with the chapters, this story will probably follow a space/stars/celestial theme naming. This chapter counts because our word "planet" comes from the Greek word "planḗtēs", meaning "wanderer". I thought it sounded cooler and made more sense than "the planets" but still fit the theme.**

 **Anyway! On to the story!**

* * *

 _Previously:_

 _Tsubaki tried resisting, leaning back in her chair, but the pull was insistent, and soon she was halfway inside the scroll. A strange portal had opened, or perhaps had been hiding between the pages, and it was sucking her in. Her mind flashed back to Kid's description of the Book of Eibon, and her own experience inside. The Weapon screamed, trying to wrench herself free, but to no avail._

 _"Tsubaki!" Black*Star cried, gripping her arm and trying to yank her back. Black*Star was strong, probably the physically strongest person she knew, but even he was no match for this force. At least, Tsubaki thought, her meister was safe. That was all that mattered: Black*Star, her meister, her partner, was safe._

 _That was the last thought she had before disappearing completely into the scroll._

"Tsubaki!" Black*Star yelled as his partner was sucked down into the scroll. He reached his arm into the book, and it felt like pushing his way through wet cement. The force that had stolen Tsubaki so suddenly and ferociously now seemed to be pushing Black*Star away, unwilling to let him into its pages. Well, he'd be damned before he let his Weapon be taken like that. He was the man who had surpassed God! There was no way he was leaving Tsubaki to face whatever this was on her own.

Finally, the force seemed to give up, and accept that he was going to get through no matter what. The wet-cement-like texture disappeared, and Black*Star slipped through the portal like water, and then into darkness.

...

It was a sunny day, though a bit cool when the wind blew by. Some puffy white clouds drifted lazily in the sky, the kind that Shikamaru would have liked to have watched. Temari still didn't quite understand how he could just lay on a hillside for hours and stare up at them, but she'd come to accept it as a major part of him.

"Nee, Temari-nee, you nervous at all?"

Temari of the Sand twisted her head around to look at her younger brother Kankuro, who had an amused grin on his face between the arching, wave-like patterns of face paint he wore. Temari rolled her eyes at him.

"What do I have to be nervous for?" she retorted. "It's just Shikamaru, is all. And a trip to Konoha; I've made that lots of times!"

"Yeah, Shikamaru as your _groom_ , at your _wedding_ ," Kankuro replied. "That's gotta feel different, doesn't it? You're telling me this trip feels the same as every other?"

" _Does_ it have to feel different?" asked the two shinobis' youngest brother, Gaara of the Sand, the Yondaime Kazekage. After years of being isolated and treated with fear as the Jinchuuriki of Shukaku, he still struggled with the nuances of love and relationships, especially romantic ones. Every time he felt he learned some new information, he soaked it up eagerly, almost like his precious cacti soaking up water.

"No, it doesn't," Temari answered him. "Kankuro's just being stupid and trying to tease me."

"Hey, that's what younger brothers are for," Kanukuro replied. He then turned to Gaara. "Towards their sisters, I mean. You don't have to do that to me."

"Oh, yes, you do!" Temari cried. "Don't let him fool you, little brother."

Gaara just shook his head. "I don't know when to take you two seriously sometimes," he said, sounding genuinely distressed, or as much as he could in his usual monotone.

Temari was about to reply when suddenly she stiffened; by the pause in her brothers' footsteps, she knew they had sensed it, too: there was someone near by, a stranger. Though the world was at peace now, at least mostly, they still couldn't let their guard down, especially now. Gaara was still the Kazekage, a head of state, and on this journey Temari herself was an outright target, as some people were still displeased by the idea of her marriage to a Konoha shinobi, no matter that their villages were the best of allies and that Shikamaru was highly regarded throughout the ninja world and a high-ranking official in Konoha.

The three shinobi carefully crept forward, reaching out among the trees and bushes with all their senses. Temari stopped at the edge of a large bush, just as a low moan was heard. The bush rustled for a moment, and then a girl stumbled out.

Immediately Temari had her fan out, open and in front of Gaara, just as a wave of sand rose up to defend her. Simultaneously, two puppets positioned themselves between the two shinobi and the stranger. Kankuro made a somewhat annoyed and exasperated sound in the back of his throat, and Temari knew why; Kankuro had retained his position as Kazekage's bodyguard on this trip, and she — to her great annoyance — had been added to his protection list. Therefore, both Temari and Gaara should have let Kankuro do his job, but Temari couldn't help herself. As a Suna kunoichi, she felt bound to protect her leader, and as an older sister, she felt bound to protect her brother, and she knew the opposite was true for Gaara.

No matter, at least for this moment; the girl — young woman, really, in her twenties — didn't seem threatening. In fact, she was hunched over in pain, and seemed disoriented; she kept glancing around, staring at everything as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Finally she raised her head and met the Sand Siblings' gazes — and immediately stumbled back, yelping in surprise.

"Wh-wh-what's going on?" the woman cried, looking from the sand to the puppets to the fan. Then her face turned hard, and, to Temari's shock, her arm suddenly transformed into a katana. "I...I don't want to fight, but I can if I have to," she warned. Though she still seemed dizzy, and was obviously unwell, Temari believed that she had the ability to put up a fight. Surely no match for all three of them, if it came to that, but still.

"We don't want it to come to that, either," Kankuro answered in a calm voice. "If you tell us who you are and where you're from, maybe we can resolve this peacefully."

The young woman pursed her lips and looked over them one more time. Her arm was still a katana. Finally, she nodded, and told them, "My name is Nakatsukasa Tsubaki, and I'm from Death City, Nevada." She paused at their confused looks, and then glanced quickly up at the sky. "And I think I might have landed in another world."

...

Black*Star groaned as he came to, his face buried in the dirt. He tried lifting his head, but then as a blast of pain reverberated through his head. He powered through it, however, and soon he was able to get into a sitting position. The world spun for a moment, but even when it stopped, Black*Star looked around at everything in disbelief. Even though he figured he'd entered another world through the scroll, he still couldn't believe his eyes.

All around, giant trees rose high above him, stretching into a brilliant blue sky; the morning sun shone brightly, and he brought a hand up to shield his eyes. A well-worn dirt path lay before him.

Black*Star turned, and stared some more. Now in front of him was a large, red-orange archway, leading into what looked like a small city. And, standing between him and the archway were two men, dressed identically in what Black*Star guessed must be uniforms: black pants and shirt, with a green vest over the shirt. One of the men had long brown hair that covered only his right eye, while the other had spiky black hair, and a bandage wrapped horizontally on his nose. They were both pointing kunai at Black*Star.

"Identify yourself," the brown-haired one ordered.

Black*Star frowned as he slowly got to his feet, trying to ignore the pounding in his head. He put his hands up to show he didn't mean any harm. "Look, guys, there's nothing to worry about here, 'kay? It's only me — the great and powerful Black*Star! I don't know what kinda world this is, but you see, I came here through a scroll in my kitchen following my partner, who I'd really like to find. She's my Weapon," he adding, stressing the last word so they would understand why he needed to find Tsubaki, why she was so important to him.

The black-haired man with the bandage cocked his head. "Man, are you messed in the head a bit? A scroll in your kitchen? And what kinda name is Black Star?"

Before Black*Star could angrily retort, the brown-haired man added, "And why do you think we'd help you find a weapon? So you could use it against us? We've all gotten used to this peace, and it's great, but we still have to be on guard. So, please tell us your real name and what village you come from, or we will be forced to bring you in."

"Wha...what the hell are you guys talking about?" Black*Star exclaimed. "Tsubaki is my Weapon _partner;_ I'm her meister! Her technician! What kinda place is this?! Even the Book of Eibon knew about Weapons and meisters!"

"Alright, fine, if you won't answer the question..." the brown-haired guard replied. He rushed at Black*Star, who gritted his teeth and managed to dodge. He must have still been disoriented, though, because suddenly he stumbled, and the black-haired guard was able to get behind him. Black*Star started to jump, but the guard hit him in back, and he went crashing into a tree.

Black*Star spat out some blood, but got up quickly. He couldn't lose here; he needed to find Tsubaki! "Bring it on," he growled.

The black-haired man and Black*Star rushed at each other, and soon began trading kicks and punches. The guard aimed at the meister's face, but Black*Star ducked and came back up with an uppercut. It hit the guard in the chin, and he went stumbling away from Black*Star. He rubbed his chin and glared at Black*Star, who glared back.

"Alright, that's it," the brown-haired guard said. "Kotetsu, stand back." He then raised his hands and began making shapes with them; Black*Star stared at him in confusion while his partner did as he was told, jumping even further back and widening the distance between Black*Star and his opponents.

The brown-haired guard then shouted, " _Suiton: Mizuame Nabara_ (Water Style: Starch Syrup Capturing Field)!", and then he spat out a strange, thick liquid from his mouth that spread out on the ground. Black*Star jumped away, but he still ended up landing in the stuff. He tried moving, but his feet stuck. It was like he had landed in syrup, or some really sticky candy.

"Man, what the h*ll is this!" Black*Star cried, desperately trying to free himself. "Is this some kind of magic?!"

"So, will you come quietly now?" The brown-haired guard asked. His partner, Kotetsu, seemed to have disappeared, but Black*Star hardly noticed, growling at the guard who had imprisoned him in this substance.

"No, not a chance," he snapped. "Why should I when you - !"

A sharp pain appeared in his neck, and Black*Star gasped once before his body went limp and he crumbled to the ground, falling unconscious once more.

Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo looked down at strange young man they had just fought, contemplating.

"What do you think we should do with him?" Kotetsu asked his friend and fellow guard. Izumo scratched his head as he thought for a moment.

"I...I'm not sure," the chunin admitted. "I'm torn between sending him to the hospital or to the police station."

"Huh," Kotetsu replied. Then he said, "Maybe we should have a Yamanaka look at him? See where he's from, what his mind's like, and then decide what's the best course of action is?"

"Sounds as good a plan as any," Izumo replied. "Let's go then."

They picked up the stranger, careful of the lingering affects of Izumo's jutsu, and began to carry him into the village of Konohagakure.

...

"So, what you're saying is, that you come from an entirely different _dimension_ , and that you entered _our_ dimension, our world, through a _scroll_ in your _kitchen?"_ Kankuro repeated incredulously.

"Ah, well, yes, that's about right," Tsubaki replied, somewhat sheepishly. It had taken a bit of time assuring the three people before her that she didn't mean them harm, (though not a small amount of sand grains still hovered in the air), and a bit longer to explain even the basics of her new situation."I know how strange it sounds, I really do, but it's the truth! And as wonderful as I'm sure your world is, I'd really like to get back to my own."

"It's not so strange," the redhead, Gaara, remarked in a quiet voice. "Uchiha Sasuke is capable of going into other dimensions, and that was where much of the fighting against Kaguya occurred."

"Yeah, but neither Sasuke nor Naruto mentioned there being different societies or people or...any other kind of life, in fact," the other woman, Temari, noted. She looked Tsubaki over once more, scrutinizing her. It made Tsubaki a little uncomfortable, though she understood it.

Gaara didn't seem concerned about what this Naruto and Sasuke had or hadn't said. "Perhaps they weren't in the right dimension," he answered, in the same kind of voice. Temari pressed her lips into a line at that, but didn't argue.

Instead, she motioned her companions closer, and began whispering to them. Though she probably wasn't supposed to, Tsubaki could still hear them if she tried hard enough.

"Well, say that we believe her," Temari was saying. "And I'm not saying that I do, exactly, but even if, what should we do? I'm not cold enough to want to leave her out here on her own when she's clearly not in the best shape or situation, but...we don't know how to deal with this."

"Well, we're pretty much exactly halfway between home and Konoha at this point," Kankuro mused. "So it'd take a day or two no matter if we turn back, or keep going."

"We were heading to Konoha, however," Gaara pointed out. "And it's possible Naruto may be able to contact Sasuke, see if he can get this woman back to her own world."

"I'm all for helping her, if we think we can trust her," said Temari. "And it wouldn't be impossible, just a real big pain, to reschedule last minute."

"No, no, we don't need you to do that," Kankuro assured. There was a long pause. "So, then...we should...take her with us?"

There was another long pause. Then Temari nodded as Gaara said, "Yes."

The three broke their huddle then, and turned back to Tsubaki. Kankuro moved forward and took up position in front of his companions. "Alright," he told the Weapon, "we've decided that, if you want, you can come with us to our destination. Konohagakure." There was a pause as the three of them looked at her, as if waiting for some sign of acknowledgement. The name, of course, meant nothing to Tsubaki, who simply nodded.

"Thank-you," she replied sincerely. "I really do appreciate it!" She bit her lip, then added, "I hope you don't think I'm...I don't mean to demand more of you, but do you think, wherever it is you're heading, they'll be able to help me get home."

They all glanced at each other again, and then Kankuro said, "Possibly. I mean...we don't know much about it, but some friends of ours might know something."

Tsubaki straightened, and then bowed deeply to them. Thankfully the dizzy feeling that had accompanied her since arriving in this world seemed to have worn off. "Thank-you very much."

Gaara and Temari nodded, and then turned back to whatever path they had been following. Kankuro motioned Tsubaki forward, wanting her to go ahead; Tsubaki recognized that he was going to be keeping an eye on her, that he wasn't going to keep all their backs to her. She understood that, though without Black*Star here, she worried about keeping her back to any of them.

But if there was even a chance that following these people could find her a way home, then she had to take it. So, steeling herself, Tsubaki nodded and followed after Gaara and Temari, on the way to "Konohagakure."

* * *

 **A.N. — So Naruto characters make their appearance! I hope I've kept them in character. Please let me know what you think, and what I might be able to do to improve!**

 **Also, just in case any of you were wondering, the reason Tsubaki is not worried about Black*Star as much as he is about her, is that she thinks he managed to stay outside the scroll and is still in their world.**

 **Though this will mainly be told through Tsubaki and Black*Star's perspectives, as you can see I've changed it a little, with the Sand Sibs' and Kotetsu and Izumo getting some POV. I think I will have at least Kid, Liz, and Patti's reactions in a later chapter.**


	3. Launch

**A.N. — So sorry this took so long! But school is pretty much done for me now, so hopefully I'll be able to work on this more.  
**

 **Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is welcomed, just please no flames!**

* * *

"If I may ask, why are you going to...Konoha, is it? Do you live there?" Tsubaki asked, breaking the silence that had formed since the four of them had started walking together.

The two travelers in front of her, Temari and Gaara, looked back at her, slowing their pace only a little, not that it was that fast to begin with. But it was Kankuro, still slightly behind her, that answered, saying,

"Nah, we live in Suna, a couple days' journey back behind us." He chuckled. "We have some good friends in Konoha, though. Especially Temari-nee."

 _Ah, so Temari is Kankuro's older sister,_ Tsubaki noted. Said woman, giving her brother an annoyed glare, said to Tsubaki,

"He's such a pain sometimes. What he's trying to do - besides rile me up, which is _not_ going to work, Kankuro - is say, we're on our way to Konoha because my fiance lives there." She paused, and then a smile appeared on her face. "We're getting married in a few days."

"Oh!" Tsubaki exclaimed, clapping her hands. "So you're going to your wedding! How nice." She paused, then gave sheepish smile. "I hope I haven't messed up your plans too much."

Temari waved her hand dismissively. "No, it's alright. Be lucky we were going this way, anyway." She rolled her eyes, but good-naturedly. "To be honest, knowing him, Shikamaru will just oversleep and miss our wedding altogether."

"Even if Shikamaru-san was that...forgetful," Gaara responded, "I do not think that Yamanaka-san would allow it."

"That's true," Temari replied with a laugh. "Choji, either, I don't think. I've got a couple partners-in-crime in those two."

"Well, whatever time the groom ends up getting there, I wish you all the best," Tsubaki told Temari.

The other woman acknowledged the well-wishes with a nod. "Thank-you." There was a pause, and then she said, "But, while we're answering questions...can I ask you about that jutsu you used? It's pretty rare to just substitute one part of the body, and with something that's not readily available in the area."

Tsubaki was thoroughly confused. "I'm...sorry..." she replied slowly. "But, um...jutsu? What's that?"

At her question, all three stopped to look at her incredulously - well, Gaara's expression stayed the same, but his stare became much more intense.

"You mean you...do you not have jutsu in your world?" Kankuro asked, still behind Tsubaki. "Do you have chakra, at least?"

"Um..."

"The life energy that is essential to forming ninjutsu? You don't have that?"

Tsubaki shook her head. "Well, no, we don't...oh! Life energy, you say?" She furrowed her brow, thinking. "Well, what we have in my world are souls, and, further, the soul wavelength. The soul wavelength is, basically, the rhythm of the soul itself; it holds your characteristics, your power, your ability to resonate with a Meister and perform attacks with your soul -"

"Wow," Temari said, sounding amazed. "We definitely live in different worlds."

"A soul...can do all that...?" Gaara mused

Tsubaki nodded. "Yeah. It's kinda similar, at least in the life energy way. I mean, if you lose your soul, you lose your life, so..." She cleared her throat. "To answer your question, Temari-san, about the technique I used...well, it's because I have the soul of a Weapon. I am a Weapon."

Confusion reigned once more. Gaara set his gaze on her, and Tsubaki had to admit to herself it was a little disconcerting. The redhead had a small frown, that seemed half confused and half upset. "You are not a weapon," he told her sternly. "You are a human being, are you not?"

Tsubaki was taken aback. Was that even being questioned? "Of course I am!" she exclaimed. Then she paused, reminding herself that these people were just as mystified by her world as she was by theirs. She couldn't assume they had any knowledge of what she was talking about, not even the difference between a Demon Weapon and regular tool.

"You see," she began, "where I'm from, there are different species - witches, shinigamis (though they're pretty rare, actually I think Kid is the only one...), and humans." Gaara and Temari both frowned, as if still lost, but Tsubaki put a hand up and continued with her explanation. "But there are three kinds of humans - regular humans, which, I guess, is what you're familiar with; Demon Weapons, who can, well, transform into weapons." Tsubaki then quickly turned her arm into a katana again, and then back to her arm, in case her new companions still didn't quite trust her. "And those humans who can wield Demon Weapons, called Meisters." She looked at them all, including Kankuro. "Any questions?"

"So, what you're saying," Kankuro said slowly, "is that some people have special energy that lets them turn into a weapon? And some other people can wield them, but not all humans?" At Tsubaki's nod, he said thoughtfully, "Maybe our worlds aren't so different...we have people who can use chakra - most become shinobi, like we are - and those who can't. Civilians, you know."

"Ah, that's true," Temari agreed. "I wonder, have you had any battles on the moon lately, though?"

Her tone was light and joking, but Tsubaki looked at her in surprise. "Yes, actually," the Weapon replied. "It was...it was quite the battle."

The three shinobi exchanged glances. "Yeah..." Kankuro said. "Not that different at all..."

...

Yamanaka Ino frowned as she stared at the patient lying in bed. The young blue-haired man, about 20 years old or so, seemed dressed like a shinobi, but not one she'd ever seen - and she'd seen a lot, from many different villages, during and after the war - and he lacked a headband which they could have used to identify his homeland.

Kotetsu and Izumo had brought him into her and Haruno Sakura's mental health clinic a little while ago and informed Ino about the strange way the man had acted and spoke, and asked if she could take a look at his mind to see if he was a a threat to the village or just unwell. Ino had agreed to do so, and also reluctantly agreed to leave handcuffs on the man in case he woke up and became violent.

"Alright," Ino murmured to herself, "here goes nothing." She made the hand sign for one of her clan's signature jutsus, and sent her mind into the young man's.

Almost immediately afterwards, a few seconds maybe that felt like years to the young Yamanaka clan head, Ino rocketed back to her own body, opening her eyes wide and backing away from the bed.

"Oh, Kami," she breathed. She stared at the blue-haired man, trying to make sense of what she had seen in his mind - trying to make sense of his _life_ , so different from anything she'd seen before, or she could have imagined.

 _I must go tell the Hokage,_ Ino thought. With that, she raced from the room and headed to Hokage tower.

...

Black*Star woke up in a chair, arms pulled behind the back and held there by handcuffs clamped around his wrists.

"What the hell -" he muttered, before examining his surroundings, hoping to find a way to escape quickly.

He was sitting in what seemed to be an office, with a desk in the center of the room, pushed to the back, where the light from half a dozen windows streamed in. A man with spiky silver hair and a scar over his left eye sat in the chair behind the desk, while one dark-haired woman in a blue dress and another, younger woman with long blond hair and a purple outfit flanked him; next to the blond stood a man about her age, with spiked dark hair and dark eyes, with a green vest over his shirt.

Black*Star's eyes continued to roam, and to the left he saw the two guys he had fought earlier, and who must have brought him here while he was unconscious. He sent a quick glare their way, then glanced to the right, where a young blond man stood; he was dressed in a black-and-orange jumpsuit, and all of his left arm was wrapped in bandages.

"Alright," Black*Star began, breaking the silence. "You don't know who you're messing with. If you just let me go look for my partner, there'll be no hard feelings and I'll let you off easy. 'Kay?" Maybe speaking so threateningly to strangers while he was tied up in their territory wasn't very smart, but Black*Star figured he could get out of this fine - he was Black*Star, after all.

"Actually," the man seated at the desk replied, "we know quite a bit about you already, Black*Star of the Star Clan."

Black*Star's eyes widened at the sound of his name. Wasn't this a new dimension he'd fallen into? The two guards from before didn't seem to know anything about meisters and Weapons, and even he could acknowledge that most of his greatness didn't make sense without that context. And to know his clan as well...it didn't make sense.

"What do you know about me?" Black*Star demanded. "Can't be too much, otherwise you would all be shaking in fear right now."

The silver-haired man, who was probably the leader of this group made a "Hmm" noise before saying, "If you tell us what your business in our village is and how you came to be here, perhaps we can negotiate something. Such as getting those cuffs off you."

Black*Star scowled. He didn't want to tell these people anything, but it's possible they knew why he was here if they knew his identity. And maybe they could tell him where Tsubaki was, if he cooperated...

"Fine," he said tersely. He began telling them the events of the last...few hours? day? How long had it been since they'd opened that damn scroll anyway? - how he'd picked up a scroll, opened it with his partner, and dove in after her after the scroll sucked her through.

"I just landed outside your gates," Black*Star ended. "And ran into those two." He nodded towards the gate guards off to the side of the room. "Believe me, I wasn't trying to come here specifically. That stupid scroll just dumped me here."

The silver-haired leader nodded thoughtfully, and then nodded to one of the gate guards, the brown haired-one. He nodded back and went around behind Black*Star. Black*Star tensed, but the guard was just unlocking his handcuffs. The meister stood up immediately, and readied his body for a fight, just in case, but no one attacked him, and he didn't attack them, so the room settled back into its uneasy peace.

"That story matches with what Ino saw in your mind," the leader said, looking over at the blond woman.

Black*Star frowned, confused. "Eh? In my mind? What the hell?"

"It's a special technique among my clan," the blond woman, Ino, explained. "Among another things, we have the ability to go into another's mind and see their thoughts."

"What?!" Black*Star exclaimed. "W-w-wait, th-that's totally creepy! What the hell, who the hell gave you that permission?!"

Ino shrugged. "We had to see if you were a threat or not," she replied, though she did sound a little apologetic.

"I've decided," said Silver Hair, "that we will help you get back to your dimension. We have had experiences with other-dimensional beings before, much more hostile than you, and this may be a good way to figure out how to stop them." He paused, the added, "I am Hatake Kakashi, by the way, the Hokage of Konohagakure. Over there are Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu" - he indicated the gate guards - "and here are Kato Shizune, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto."

"Cool, nice to meet you," Black*Star said flatly. He then added, more fervently, "And getting me back to my dimension is great and all, pops, but I have to find Tsubaki first! Is she here? Have you seen her? No way I'm leaving without her!"

"Ah, yes, your partner," Kakashi agreed. "I'm afraid you are the only strange new visitor we've encountered today."

Black*Star deflated. There goes his only lead. How was he supposed to know where to look now?

Just then a hand clapped down on his shoulder. Black*Star turned, surprised, to see the blond man, Uzumaki Naruto, had stepped forward, a determined smile on his face.

"Don't worry," he told Black*Star. "We might not know about 'Meister' this or 'Weapon' that...but we _do_ know a hella lot about bringing friends home, believe it." He brought his one arm up and clasped his elbow with the other. "So you can count on us!"

Black*Star stared at him for a moment, and then a matching grin appeared on his face. "Thanks," he said.

He would have liked to have his own friends - Soul, Maka, Kid, Liz and Patti - with him on this, like when they'd had to save Kid from the Book of Eibon, or Liz and Patti from that bastard Scafidi in NYC. But, Black*Star had a feeling that, with these kind of people by his side, they would find Tsubaki in no time.


	4. First Contact

**A.N. — So sorry this took so long! I guess I just didn't have the writing bug for it...but I'll try to be more regular now that's it back!  
**

 **Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is welcomed, just please no flames!**

 **Also, just curious, anyone reading this that have read "Shot Through the Heart"? I know a couple of those readers said they wouldn't read this because they don't know _Naruto_ , but has anyone read both?**

* * *

By the time Tsubaki and her new companions reached a little village to stay the night - really just a community of tea shops, a medical building, a few farms, a town jail, and, considering the size of the settlement, a large _onsen_ \- the sun had long began its daily descent into the hidden pocket between the earth and sky, leaving fiery oranges and blushing purples in its wake.

According to Temari, her brothers and she (for the redhead, Gaara, was also her brother, the youngest of the three) usually pressed on much further when traveling to Konoha, making camp on the ground only when they were too exhausted to continue, but since this was a leisure trip, Temari had declared back when they left home they were going to take it easy. She also wanted to check out some of the new towns that had sprung up after the war they'd suffered a few years prior, like the one they were going to now, in what Kankuro called the Land of Rivers. It was one of two smaller countries with which the siblings' homeland, the Land of Wind, shared with that of Temari's fiancé, the Land of Fire. Tsubaki had also noticed that the three seemed on edge sometimes, and with the way they had first greeted her, weapons drawn and clearly ready for a fight, the Demon Weapon knew staying in a small, unknown place would put her companions more at ease.

The woman who greeted them at the _onsen_ , apparently the owner, was short and rather plump, but in a pretty way; her long black hair was pulled back with a red ribbon, and beads of sweat shone on her forehead; she was dressed in a long, light-pink smock, with a white apron over it. When she opened the door to them, she sputtered and gasped and stared at Gaara, exclaiming in a high-pitch squeal, _"Kazekage-sama!"_ Then, realizing she was staring, she went red in the face and began bowing continuously, bobbing up and down as she apologized for her rudeness and proclaimed what an honor and a privilege it was to have them in her humble establishment.

Kankuro winced at her volume and looked around before shushing her, though the _onsen_ was set far enough away from the rest of the town that it seemed no one noticed. "Ah, if you could refrain from letting anyone know who's here, it would be most appreciated."

The woman blushed and sputtered again. "O-oh, o-of course, Kankuro-sama! Please forgive me my excitement! I - I mean, i-it's not every day you get a world leader a-and _war heroes!"_ She shook herself out of her daze. "But - never mind, please, please come in! Make yourself comfortable!" She led them inside and pointed first to the right, then the left. "Men's side is over there, and the women's is there. If you need anything, you have only to ask - my name is Yamamaru Taura, and either I or my husband Tatsumi will answer, or our daughter, Yuyu-chan." She bowed once again, much more composed than before. "If you will excuse me."

Temari nodded and smiled, already half-way to the women's side. "Thank-you very much, Yamamaru-san."

Gaara followed his sister's example and nodded at the woman. "Yes. Thank-you for your hospitality, Yamamaru-san. It is most appreciated."

Yamamaru-san looked like she could die of happiness right then and there, and she bowed quickly, three times in rapid sucession, before bustling down another hallway, yelling for "Tatsu-kun!" Her reaction made Tsubaki wonder once more just who Gaara was in this dimension - a world leader, had the woman said? He seemed rather young, but, then, so was Kid. Perhaps his predecessor - his father? his mother? - had died in the recent war.

A tug on her arm pulled Tsubaki from her thoughts; she looked in surprise as Temari began dragging her towards the women's side.

"C'mon, Tsubaki," the other woman said, excitement in her voice. "My fiancé's friend, Choji, sent me a list of some of the nicer new onsens around here, and he said this was a good one."

"Oh, does he travel between your two countries a lot, too?" Tsubaki inquired as she followed Temari into the preparation room, where they would wash off before entering the bath.

Temari shook her head, unstrapping her giant fan and placing it beside her before stripping down. Tsubaki looked away slightly, but not too much as she herself undressed. It was a pleasant surprise to see how much this world resembled her own Japan - _onsens,_ honorifics, even a different set of modesty; Tsubaki had taken Liz, Patti, and Maka to an _onsen_ in Nevada once, to give them a look into some of her culture, and Maka had been deeply embarrassed by being naked together, while Tsubaki had noticed many more towels and cover-ups there than would be in a traditional _onsen_ , probably to appeal to Americans' aversion to skin. Liz and Patti had hardly batted an eye, however, used to seeing Tsubaki naked within the "Weapon-space", the thin line where a Weapon's human and object bodies merged and separated, especially when Resonating together.

She had also seen Soul naked plenty of times, and he her, but they had agreed never to mention that to Maka, or even Black*Star. It was a Weapon thing, after all.

"No," Temari was saying, answering Tsubaki. "At least, not around here. Choji has a girlfriend in the Land of Lightning, but that's farther north, past Konoha. It's - well, it's kind of a joke as well as a present, he said in his note that my fiancé, Shikamaru, was the one who noticed them but was too embarrassed to tell me, so as his best friend, Choji told me instead." Temari rolled her eyes, but there was a redness to her cheeks that Tsubaki didn't think came from the steam.

Temari coughed, seeming nervous, and then gestured to the doorway. "Shall we?"

Tsubaki hesitated a moment, then nodded, stepping in front of the kunoichi and entering the outside bath area. It seemed empty except for them, which was fine; Tsubaki was still getting to know Temari, after all. The two women stepped into the hot water, pausing for a moment to get acclimated, breathing in the steam that wafted over and around them. A small waterfall poured into the bath from a smaller, still pool, creating a bubbling melody, and tall trees provided a natural barrier along with the stone wall rising around them.

Tsubaki, submerged up to her chest, leaned back against the warm stone and closed her eyes; her body felt almost instantly better. It had been a stressful day, to say the least.

"Hey, Tsubaki."

The Weapon opened her eyes and looked over at Temari. She, too, was leaning against the stone, her blonde hair, which she'd kept in two ponytails this whole time, was now loose, arrayed on her shoulders and back.

"Yes?" Tsubaki answered.

Temari looked at her, expression curious...and possibly a little wary. "You said that, in your world, demon Weapons are wielded by...Meisters, right?" At Tsubaki's nod, she continued, "Well, do you have one?"

A small pang hit Tsubaki at the questions, and the reminder therein. Black*Star...what was he doing right now? He must have gone to Kid by now, right? And they were probably trying to figure out how to get her home. There was no way any of her friends, especially Black*Star, would leave her alone. What shame, though, and Black*Star had been so hopeful and happy when he gave her that scroll - and Angela! How were they going to explain this to the young witch? She'd lost Mifune, Tsubaki didn't want her to think she'd lost Tsubaki, too...

The Weapon shook her head to clear it. She would have to let the others take care of that, and do what she could on her own side. So she breathed in deep and nodded. "Yes," she told Temari. "Yes, I have a partner. His name is Black*Star."

"What's he like? And where is he now? Were you alone when you...got sucked into the book?" Temari's tone on the last question still held a note of increduality, which Tsubaki understood - she'd _had_ the experience, and the Book of Eibon besides, but even she still found it hard to believe.

Tsubaki shook her head. "No, he was with me. But...for some reason only I was sucked in. I mean, I was the one who opened it, so that's probably why. Maybe the book could only take one person, I don't know. But I'm glad for it - at least he's safe." Tsubaki knew Black*Star would hate that he wasn't with her, but she was a lot more at ease with the situation this way - it's a Weapon's job to look after their Meister, after all.

"And as for what he's like..." the corner of Tsubaki's mouth lifted, and she looked at Temari with pride in her eyes. "He's the man who's surpassed God."

Temari blinked, looking startled at the explanation. But then she chuckled, seeming to understand.

"Ah," she said. "I think I get it. Loud, determined, won't let anyone stop him from doing what he set his mind to?" Her gaze softened. "But...you obviously care for him, so he must be a good guy, overall. I think I know a person like that myself."

"You've hit a lot of points," Tsubaki agreed. She felt comfortable with the other woman, almost as comfortable with her friends. It was a little strange, but, she decided, a good thing. Strangers can just click like that, sometimes, and if these were the people she had to rely on, to help navigate her way in this world and get her back to her own, then it was simply a blessing.

She smiled. "He can be a little obnoxious still...and still likes to rush in without thinking, but he does have the power now to back up his confidence." _I've got you, Tsubaki,_ he'd told her once. _You and me together, we deserve all the confidence in the world!_ "I couldn't ask for a better partner."

Temari smiled back at her. "I'm glad. Almost a shame he isn't here now; I'd have liked to meet him."

Tsubaki just smiled too; the heat of the bath was making her sweat a little, or maybe that was just the hot, heavy moisture in the air. "Well, what about your fiancé? What's he like? I mean, you're not just marrying him, your leaving your home for him."

"Oh, don't worry too much about that - we'll be back and forth plenty of times. In fact, after the ceremony in Konoha we're -"

Temari stopped abruptly as a sound was heard just outside the wall, different from the splashing water and chittering birds. Both women, warrior-trained and skilled in the way of shinobi, tensed for a moment, wondering what it was. Tsubaki frowned as she reached out her senses. No Weapon could sense a soul like a Meister could, but through careful training and residual power from their partner, a Weapon could detect strong presences. Liz could do it pretty well, helped by the fact that her Meister was a shinigami, and that she often acted as a Meister to her sister, but Tsubaki wasn't bad herself, and right now, she definitely felt someone near by, it was very near, very strong, and felt familiar but not...

Temari rose from the water, concentrating as she looked around. "It could have been an animal..." she began, but as soon as she finished speaking, more sounds, definitely footsteps, preceded the arrival of a figure landing on the wall surrounding the women's bath.

Tsubaki was up in an instant, carefully watching the figure, the source of the presence she'd felt. It was a man, in his thirties maybe, with shoulder-length dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. His clothing was simple, just a pair of dusty brown pants, a short green robe, and the sandals that Tsubaki had seen everyone else wearing, in the color brown.

A kunai appeared in Temari's hand, the metal glinting in the sunlight. "What do you want?" the kunoichi demanded, voice hard, and loud, loud enough, Tsubaki realized, to carry over. She was calling her brothers.

The man ignored the Suna nin, looking at Tsubaki. He hadn't stopped looking at her, she realized, and an uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach. She didn't know this man, didn't recognize him at all, but there was something familiar about him, about his soul...and with a start she realized why. Ever since she came here, to this world, everyone had felt...off. Not bad, not evil, but it was like their souls resonated on a different frequency, one that she couldn't access.

But this man...he was on _her_ frequency, that's why he'd felt so strong - it was like having your ears popped: before, the world was quiet, dulled, but once they popped noises were louder, sharper. He was the first person that she could sense since landing in this world. Because...he was from _her_ world.

"Finally," the man said, still staring at Tsubaki. He grinned widely, a strange, twisted joy in his eyes. "I've found you."

...

"So where do we start? Your guys' home isn't that big, right?" Black*Star asked, standing at the entrance to what the natives had called the Hokage mansion - apparently their equivalent of the White House, or Shinigami-sama's office. Standing with him were the two blonds and the dark-haired one near his own age, Ino, Naruto, and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru and Ino looked at each other, before Shikamaru turned back to him. "Well, like Hokage-sama said, we haven't had any reports of anyone matching your partner's description today, but Konoha is fairly large - it's a Hidden Village, after all. And that's not to say she didn't land in another village in the other countries, or on the road in between. To just start looking without _anything_ to go on...it'll be tough."

Black*Star clenched his fists. "But she has to be close by, right?" he insisted. "I mean - it wasn't that long before I went in after her, she can't have gotten that far away from me!" He didn't know much about magic, so he could be wrong, but he had to stay confident. Even if Tsubaki was pretty far away, he would find her. He was probably the only one who could find her; their souls would lead them to each other, they had spent so much time resonating with each other, after all. And since everyone in this world he'd met so far felt...off in their souls, somehow, then as soon as he felt a soul wavelength like his, then he knew it would be Tsubaki.

Shikamaru shrugged, and it was Ino this time who spoke, saying, "Well, Hokage-sama has sent out word to the other villages to keep an eye out, so that's a good start." She looked at Shikamaru and poked him, half-irritated and half-playful. "As much as we want to help you, Black*Star, I don't understand why you're involved in this, Shikamaru; you only have three more days until your wedding!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Uh, do you have to bring that up, Ino? Man, after all the politics and arguing about where to have it, when to have it, who to invite, who not to invite...I really wish Temari and I had just eloped."

"No!" Ino said sternly, glaring at him. "No eloping! Do you know how long I spent making the bouquets, making sure they were perfect? And I can't wait to see you and Temari in your wedding clothes! And there's gonna be such a great party afterwards...and there's not way you would exclude me or Choji, or Kami forbid _your mother,_ from watching you be married!"

"Yeah, yeah...not really killing the elopement idea there, Ino."

Naruto laughed and clapped Shikamaru on the back. "At least you didn't have to go through meeting the Hyuga elders and sit through a "Father of the bride-to-the-groom" talk with Hiashi! If I can handle that, you can handle anything, Shikamaru!"

Black*Star felt a tad annoyed they had seemed to have forgotten him, and worse, Tsubaki - _how could anyone forget to look at a star like him?_ \- but there was somehing kind of nice watching them interact, like he would with his friends. And this was stuff they'd be talking about soon, wasn't it? Black*Star wasn't sure how Liz and Patti were on the relationship front - he thought Liz had been going out with that Jason kid she'd brought back from New York, but maybe not - and of course he and Tsubaki were over (a small pang hit him at that, but he told himself he was just worried about where she was now), but Ox and Kim were engaged, and Soul had told him he hoped to propose to Maka after graduation. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd say yes. Maybe hit him with a Maka Chop first, depending on how he did it, but she'd definitely say yes.

"Ah, Kankuro tried that with me already - he tried to get Gaara in on it, too, which, I'll admit, would freak me out, but Gaara didn't understand what Kankuro was talking about, so -"

"Hey!" Black*Star said, finally fed up with their conversation. A star could only be ignored for so long, and when he was trying to find his own star, not even that long.

The three had the grace to look chastised. Then Naruto stepped forward, that same determined glint in his eye, so similar to Black*Star's, as in the Hokage's office.

"Don't worry," he told Black*Star. "I told you we'd help you get her back, and we will. And just because we don't know where to start doesn't mean we _can't._ So she's not in Konoha - let's hit the road, then. For a little while, at least."

Black*Star grinned, happy where this was going, as Ino sighed. "At least tell your wife where you're going, okay, Naruto?" the kunoichi said, as Naruto prepared to dash off with Black*Star. "Honestly, now that he does have someone to go home to, you think he'd make better use of it."

Naruto waved his hand at Ino in the form of casual acknowledgement as he lead Black*Star to the village gates, where he'd appeared from the sky and met the guards, Izumo and Kotetsu.

 _Soon, Tsubaki,_ Black*Star thought to himself on the way, _I'll be with you._ _No matter what, I will find you._

* * *

 **A.N. - So, I hope this...kinda...makes up for my long silence...please?**

 **Oh, in case anyone is confused, Temari's slight embarrassment talking about onsens comes from the light novel Konoha Hiden, where everyone is trying to get a present for Naruto and Hinata's wedding. Shikamaru wants to test out an onsen to get them a gift card, but can't go in the women's side obviously, so he asks Temari to come with him; through som misguided word choice on his part and misunderstandings on both their sides leads Temari to think he is asking her to test the onsen for their honeymoon, and thus that he's asking her to marry him (this when they aren't even dating at the time). Yeah. Fun times ensue over that misunderstanding.**

 **So please, once more, let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed.**


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